On Thursday March 19, the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets lost in both games of a doubleheader to the Penn State Altoona Lions at the Waynesburg Baseball and Softball Complex. 

Game one was all Penn State Altoona despite being tied at two to start the game. Penn State Altoona scored twelve unanswered runs and rode a solid starting outing to a 14-2 victory. 

Jose Lopez Jr., a pinch runner for Gavin Pratt who reached on an error by the Lions’ first baseman, and Brody McMillan who ran for Hunter Hamilton scored the game’s lone two runs for the Yellow Jackets. 

The Lions tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning to bring their total to 14 to finish game one. 

Even though the Yellow Jackets didn’t come out on top, Allen was pleased with his complete game performance. 

“Obviously the outcome isn’t the result we were looking for, but being able to go out there and throw the complete game felt really good,” Allen said. “The past couple of weeks the pitching coaches have been telling the pitchers we need to quit thinking about pitching and just trust our stuff, and I took that mindset into the game and controlled what I can control knowing that my defense had my back out there.” 

Penn State Altoona went up early in the first after the Lions hit a double to left field and came around to score on an error into the Penn State dugout. Two more runs scored in the third and fourth innings to push the Lions’ lead to three. 

Waynesburg did not have a baserunner reach until the bottom of the fifth after junior Trent Giraffa lined a single to left field. The Jackets cut into the lead later as Brayden Krebs hit home Giraffa then scored on a Kaden Flambard knock to right field to bring it within one. 

Allen shut down the Lions in the last three frames to set up an all important bottom of the seventh. Krebs and Sam Watson both reached on errors to put the tying and winning runs on base. Unfortunately, Waynesburg could not bring home either run and fell in game two. 

“The past few games the offensive side hasn’t been able to string together hits or get timely hitting,” Allen said. “I know the team has it in them and I believe they can put big numbers in the run column, we just need to find ways to get runners on and have that timely hitting,” Allen said. “We just have to keep chipping away at it.” 

Waynesburg now has a 7-9 overall record in 16 games this season.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action this Saturday at Allegheny College for their first Presidents’ Athletic Conference doubleheader of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.